Arkansas Razorbacks Saylor Poffenbarger (15 points, 17 rebounds) and Makayla Daniels (24 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals) after 84-43 win over the Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
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00:00 - You know, 14 points in the first half.
00:02 Tonight, you had nine points, I think,
00:04 in the first four possessions down the floor.
00:07 With Taliyah not being available tonight,
00:10 how much did you feel like you needed to take on
00:12 even more of that responsibility?
00:14 - Honestly, I really didn't feel like
00:16 I needed to take more responsibility.
00:17 I kind of felt myself being less aggressive
00:20 these past few games,
00:21 so I know I had to come out a little more aggressive.
00:23 But we knew this game, it was kind of going to be like,
00:26 you don't really know who's going to be the highest score
00:27 of this game or the leading score or whatever,
00:28 but we knew we were going to get our easy shot.
00:31 So that was just like our focus
00:33 in the practice the past two days.
00:35 - Came out, you hit a three,
00:36 I think first possession down the floor,
00:37 maybe second, maybe the first.
00:39 Does that kind of, you know,
00:40 kind of settle you down a little bit?
00:42 What does it feel like when you hit your first shot?
00:44 What kind of confidence does that give you moving forward?
00:46 - It definitely settles me down.
00:47 I'm sure it settles my teammates down too.
00:50 'Cause you know, when you don't hit your first few shots,
00:52 you're kind of forcing to make that first one an easy one.
00:55 But since that first one was an easy one,
00:57 it just like led us into a better flow.
01:00 - Knowing you're going to be at least one player down
01:03 and Sandra, you can answer this if you want to,
01:05 knowing you're going to be one player down,
01:06 does that change your focus any,
01:09 or does it, I mean,
01:10 do you just going to go all out no matter what,
01:12 saying, I was, you know,
01:14 I may not get to come out the whole game,
01:16 I just got to let it all go?
01:17 - I definitely think that, I mean,
01:19 when you miss a player like Talia,
01:21 I feel like you would think there's like
01:24 a huge difference in our approach.
01:26 But I think that for us,
01:27 it's kind of like we have to deal with adversity
01:29 and you know, there's going to be games
01:30 where people have to sit it out and we have to respond.
01:32 And I think that's what makes us really good
01:34 is everyone can step up at any given point.
01:36 And I think, you know,
01:38 when you have a team like that,
01:40 that you don't know, like she said,
01:42 who's going to score the most points
01:43 or who's going to be that, who steps up.
01:45 I think that makes us really challenging to guard
01:47 and to scout.
01:48 So I think that's what makes us really special.
01:51 - I don't know that you could have played any better
01:52 than you did in the first half,
01:53 but you knew Georgia was going to come out strong
01:55 in the third quarter.
01:56 You knew they weren't going to just lay down,
01:58 but you had three big threes in that quarter.
02:00 Talk about what was happening for you in the third quarter.
02:04 - I think just getting to the right spots.
02:06 We play really well as a team.
02:07 And like she said, in practice all week,
02:09 we worked on getting the easy shot.
02:10 And sometimes, you know, you might feel open,
02:13 but someone next to you is way more open.
02:14 And I think that when you play with as much confidence
02:17 in each other, like we did in the first half,
02:19 it allowed us to relax and make those open shots
02:21 because they were so open
02:23 and we were so willing to share the ball
02:25 and it was really fun to play.
02:26 - Off the loss to Kentucky,
02:30 not how you wanted to open SEC play,
02:32 but really strong performance today.
02:34 How important was it to bounce back
02:36 and get back on the right foot
02:37 as you launch into conference play here?
02:39 - I think in our conference,
02:42 sometimes when you play your best,
02:45 you can still come out with a loss.
02:47 And so after the Kentucky game,
02:49 I think a bit of us were frustrated
02:50 because it wasn't that we lost,
02:51 it was that we didn't play well also.
02:53 So, and I'm not saying if we played well,
02:54 we were going to win,
02:55 but it's just kind of like a sucky feeling
02:57 knowing that you didn't play your best
02:58 and that was what caused the loss.
03:00 And so our focus was just like,
03:02 nothing in that Kentucky game
03:04 was going to help us win tonight.
03:06 So it was like, we got to forget that.
03:07 It could help us lose if we dwelled on it
03:09 and kept dwelling on it this whole game,
03:10 but we kind of just flipped the switch.
03:12 - Yeah, I definitely think it's important
03:14 'cause like she said, this league is going to be hard
03:16 and I think it's how people respond is who does the best.
03:19 And I think that when you,
03:22 if that shows like how you're going to be
03:23 the rest of the season,
03:24 if you lose, are you going to sit there
03:25 and let it carry over to the next game?
03:27 And I think this showed a lot of maturity out of our team,
03:29 being able to move on and not let any of it affect us
03:32 and come out and play our game and defend
03:33 and make all the easy shots.
03:35 I think it showed a lot about us.
03:37 - And then defensively,
03:38 you guys were really impressive tonight,
03:39 holding Georgia to 26%, forcing 20 turnovers.
03:42 How much of an emphasis was that
03:44 and how pleased were you guys
03:45 with your performance on that end?
03:47 - I mean, that's something Coach Todd emphasizes every day.
03:50 I'm sure everyone knows that.
03:52 But I think today it was just like,
03:55 we messed up actually a lot during the game
03:57 and it didn't look like it
03:57 because we played through the mistakes.
03:59 Usually we stop and our pointy fingers are looking around
04:02 like if we're the one messed up, we hang our heads.
04:04 But today it was like, okay, I messed up,
04:05 but let me go help my teammates since they helped me.
04:08 - And then I think the past couple of games,
04:11 at least from an outsider's perspective,
04:13 the ball movement has been really impressive.
04:15 And it seems like you guys are becoming more comfortable
04:16 playing with each other.
04:17 What does it say about you guys,
04:18 even with Taliyah out, that the ball's moving
04:21 and you're finding open players
04:23 and the offense seems a little bit easier
04:24 than perhaps it was earlier on?
04:26 - Yeah, I think it's when we watch it on film,
04:31 sometimes the coaches will call out like,
04:33 okay, you were open, but so-and-so was more open.
04:35 And I think that for us,
04:36 seeing that on film helped us a lot.
04:38 And I think like I said,
04:40 it's fun when we're moving the ball around
04:41 and we're getting everyone shots and everyone's hitting.
04:43 And I think that when you get that momentum,
04:45 it's really hard to slow a team down.
04:47 So when we move the ball really well,
04:49 like they can't guard and we keep attacking
04:51 and then we hit the open person,
04:53 I think it just shows,
04:54 you know, it makes it more fun to be out there
04:56 and I'm sure it makes it more fun to watch,
04:57 but I think just getting everyone involved,
05:00 we love to see each other do well.
05:02 - Slander, 14-3 pointers today.
05:07 What was different today than Thursday on your looks?
05:11 - Oh, 14 of the team.
05:12 - 14, 14 for that.
05:14 (laughing)
05:16 You know, you shot that many times.
05:22 - That's what I'm saying.
05:23 I was like, oh.
05:24 - No, but 14-3s is a lot, you know, for a game.
05:29 You know, what was different today
05:30 than maybe in recent games?
05:32 - Our team shoots the ball really well.
05:35 And I think, you know, like last game,
05:37 we didn't shoot the ball really well,
05:38 but shooter shoot and you ought to keep shooting.
05:40 And I think sometimes for me, it's a mental game,
05:43 but I think when you have teammates
05:45 and we all have so much confidence in each other
05:47 because we see it go in every day,
05:49 that when you, whether it's whoever's not hitting,
05:51 all of us are trying to pick them up.
05:52 And if I'm not hitting, everyone's picking me up.
05:54 And I think it just shows how much confidence
05:56 we do have in each other's shot,
05:57 not just because we can,
05:59 but because we all see it go in every day
06:01 and we practice these shots.
06:02 We all come in, we put in the time.
06:04 So I just think that, you know,
06:05 that we are really good shooters.
06:07 And I think sometimes the games don't always reflect that,
06:09 but today does.
06:11 - Max, it seemed like you got a lot of kip balls.
06:13 You got your hands on a lot of balls today defensively.
06:17 What were you guys doing that you felt was real effective?
06:21 - I think we were just more engaged today.
06:24 We watched a film and we know who their,
06:27 obviously, star player was,
06:28 and knowing that we got to make her life hard
06:32 for these 40 minutes.
06:33 And so just locking in on that,
06:35 and not that my player couldn't score,
06:36 but knowing that that's not what they're looking for
06:38 in the offense, they're looking for her.
06:40 So knowing that that's where they're trying to force the ball.
06:42 Thank you.
06:44 Thank you.